All apps are not created equal when it comes to the ones that can seriously put a drain on your iPhone battery. If you are aiming to get better control over your phone and how its battery holds up over the course of the day, it’s worthwhile to know which apps experts say can have a negative effect on your phone in terms of power.
“Battery life is always a challenge in our ultra-connected, always on lifestyle,” says Tech Expert Zachary Harper, owner and CEO of Turbo Speed Networks LLC. “There are many iPhone apps that can use a significant amount of battery. Apps that use the most battery generally have three things in common: they require the screen to stay on, use GPS location services, and make significant use of cellular data.”
Here is a list of four apps that Apple experts say zap so much battery.
Google Maps
“This likely comes as no surprise to anyone who has used Google Maps or any other navigation app,” Harper says. “The combination of continuous GPS usage combined with an always on screen pretty much guarantees that your battery will drain quite fast when using Google Maps navigation. If you are running Google Maps, keep a 12 volt charger or a portable power bank handy.”
YouTube
Like other video streaming apps such as Netflix and Hulu, YouTube uses a huge amount of battery power, Harper confirms. “When watching YouTube your screen is on, often with the brightness increased, and you are either using Wi-Fi or 4G / 5G cellular data,” Harper says. “The sheer amount of data that is used when streaming video combined with a screen that is always on makes YouTube a real battery drainer. Extend your battery life when using YouTube by using Wi-Fi instead of cellular data, and keeping your screen as dim as you can tolerate.”
Fitbit
“Fitbit is an extremely popular way to track your fitness and to encourage yourself to stay active,” Harper says. “Unfortunately, your body is not the only thing being kept active by the Fitbit app. The constant syncing of data between your Fitbit watch and the app can really exercise your phones battery. The Fitbit app also uses battery to deliver frequent notifications from the app. Increase your battery life by decreasing the frequency that your Fitbit watch syncs with the app.”
FaceTime
Heavy battery usage from Apple's FaceTime app may come as a surprise to many people, but the combination of screen usage, real-time video encoding, Wi-Fi or cellular data, and audio playback makes FaceTime a quick way to drain the battery on your iPhone, Harper says. “A few tips to decrease battery usage in FaceTime include decreasing your screen brightness, reducing your video resolution, and using Wi-Fi instead of cellular data,” Harper notes.
